How to hack your own brain (with Elizabeth Ricker)
1. Embrace Self-Experimentation
Become a “neurohacker” by engaging in self-tracking and self-experimentation to gain life-altering insights, make immediate and long-term improvements in mental performance, and understand invisible aspects of your daily life.
2. Rule Out Medical Causes
Before self-experimenting with lifestyle factors, consult a doctor to rule out any underlying medical disorders or neurological conditions that could be causing your symptoms.
3. Prioritize Mental Health
Address mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or mood problems, as they can significantly impact cognition; utilize online screeners or teletherapy sessions for support.
4. Implement Structured Self-Experiments
Follow a structured 10-12 week self-experimentation protocol, including a baseline, 7-10 weeks of A-B testing with 15-30 sessions per intervention, and a washout period, performing pre- and post-tests around each 10-minute intervention.
5. Establish Cognitive Baseline
Identify your specific cognitive issues and establish a baseline of your performance across four key mental abilities (executive function, emotional self-regulation, memory/learning, creativity) and lifestyle factors to pinpoint bottlenecks.
6. Track Lifestyle Factors Systematically
Systematically track “usual suspect” lifestyle factors like sleep, nutrition, exercise, social health, and stress daily for several weeks to uncover patterns and identify the real causes of cognitive issues.
7. Track Four Core Abilities
Focus on tracking and testing four key mental abilities—executive function, emotional self-regulation, memory/learning, and creativity—as they predict success in work, school, and relationships.
8. Model Learning Curve in Baseline
When tracking cognitive performance, establish a baseline period to model your natural learning curve and practice effects, then assess if interventions significantly accelerate your improvement rate beyond this baseline.
9. Journal Brain Fog Episodes
When experiencing brain fog or other issues, perform a two-minute free write in a journal, noting what you did before, how you feel, and a timestamp. This helps identify the issue, provides comfort by showing past recovery, and allows for later pattern analysis.
10. Utilize Repeatable Cognitive Tests
Use repeatable computer-based tests, like those found on Quantified Mind or Cambridge Brain Sciences, to objectively measure your cognitive performance, preferring those with transparent scoring systems.
11. Utilize Nutrition Tracking Apps
Use nutrition tracking apps like Chronometer to monitor both macronutrients and micronutrients in your diet, helping identify systematic deficiencies that could impact your health and cognition.
12. Experiment with Elimination Diets
If experiencing unexplained fatigue or stomach issues, consider trying an elimination diet by starting with simple foods and slowly reintroducing others, or radically shifting your diet, to identify potential intolerances or deficiencies.
13. Allow Weeks for Diet Adjustment
When changing your diet, allow at least a few weeks for your body to adjust and for any built-up inflammation to subside, as immediate reactions may not reflect long-term effects.
14. Practice Self-Compassion in Experiments
Avoid going to extremes with self-experiments if they make you miserable or isolate you; be kind to yourself and make compromises to maintain your quality of life and joy.
15. Track Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Use smartwatches or chest strap monitors to track your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) daily, as higher HRV levels correlate with greater emotional resilience and can indicate your general readiness.
16. Quantify Creative Output & Quality
Measure your creativity by tracking the quantity of your output in a specific domain (e.g., poems written) and subjectively rating or objectively assessing the quality of that work over time.
17. Monitor Flow State
Track how often you achieve a ‘flow state’ during creative tasks by setting a timer and rating your mental state, as flow is a pleasurable and quality-of-life-enhancing experience.
18. Incorporate Regular Exercise
Engage in regular exercise as a fundamental, low-cost intervention to potentially improve various aspects of cognition and mental performance.
19. Leverage Honest Placebos
Intentionally use the ‘honest placebo effect’ by acknowledging you’re using a placebo, believing in the mind-body connection, and expecting benefits, as this can lead to real improvements.
20. Utilize Blue Light Strategically
Use blue light strategically in the morning to energize yourself and combat fatigue, as it can be as effective as caffeine without the jitters, but avoid staring directly at the light and exercise caution if you have eye conditions or bipolar disorder.
21. Try Neurofeedback for Brain State Regulation
Experiment with neurofeedback, using a brain monitoring device (typically EEG) to receive real-time feedback that helps your brain learn to enter desired mental states, which can lead to quick and noticeable cognitive improvements.
22. Use Targeted Video Games
Play specific video games, such as Brain HQ or Lumosity for executive function, or Tetris for emotional self-regulation after a traumatic event, to potentially improve targeted cognitive abilities.
23. Explore TDCS (Cautiously)
Consider experimenting with transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) by sending small amounts of electricity to specific brain regions, as research shows mixed but sometimes surprisingly good results for cognitive enhancement.
24. Exercise Caution with Nootropics
Approach nootropics and supplements with extreme caution due to unregulated industries and potential for inaccurate labeling or unexpected side effects; use third-party watchdog sites like Labdoor to verify product purity.